Veteran sports writer Jim Utter covers NASCAR for The Charlotte Observer and its racing site, ThatsRacin.com. In this space, Jim writes about all things NASCAR and other forms of racing which may also be relevant ... or not.

“The Corvette was just the ultimate car,” Hendrick tells Cowan. “I mean, it was – you had the styling, the power, all the girls liked them.”

Timed to the car’s 60th birthday, Chevrolet has redesigned the vehicle for 2014 and brought back the legendary Stingray name. Hendrick owns one of the largest private Corvette collections in the world, with nearly 150 in his stable. He said he met his wife, Linda, while driving a Stingray.

“She rode with me in that first Corvette on our first date and it broke down,” Hendrick recalls. “She wasn’t very impressed.”